Finance Friday: Fun and Frugal November Finds!

This post kinda hits two politicians birds with one stone. I haven't done both a Finance Friday and Monthly Finds post since forever! So, apparently, I mixed them into one post since November was all about finding fun but affordable finds. This is fit for a Finance Friday post because I managed to find affordable alternatives to usual finds - which is something we must all strive to do.

Please remind me to practice what I preach. :-P

Anyway, I haven't bought a single thing for myself for so long, but I find that perfectly fine. To be honest, I get bored when I browse websites for women-stuff. Instead, I always, always, find myself navigating to the babies and toddlers websites and sections. I don't follow online shops for women's fashion anymore; I only get interested in baby-and-toddler stuff shops.

So it's not a surprise when everything I bought for this month (and the past months, as well) are for Yuri. Well, you can't blame me, can you? Toddler-stuff are much more fun to buy than women-stuff! Anyway, here are what I got for the month:

1. Milk

Okay, sorry for the boring first entries. I promise the more interesting stuff are below. Anyway, one reason I got addicted to reading mommy and parenting blogs is that I can easily get unsolicited tips on what to use for babies. I read that when the baby turns 1, babies can actually go straight to reading regular milk. Fresh milk is better than powdered milk, so I've been buying fresh milk for Yuri for months now. (We're still breastfeeding.)

Anyway, I have been buying Oishi Oaties milk regularly, but I want to try something else because that brand is kinda sweet. I want to get Yuri used to the taste of regular fresh milk, so I tried Cowhead. It tastes good like regular fresh milk does, and the best part about it is the pull-tab! I'm ensured that the milk is really fresh and not tampered.

Rating: Hit
Price: Around P70 or P80 

2. Juice

I have also been regularly buying fresh juices for Yuri since he was around 15 months old. I always try different kinds of juices, but I always see to it that they are all-natural and sugar-free.

I saw this Del Monte juice brand in SM a couple of weeks ago and was astounded that it was so cheap. I took one, of course. The problem is that I forgot to check its ingredients. At home, I saw that it was not sugar-free. Boohoo. Yuri still drank it, but I have to mix it with more water than the usual. Also, admittedly, it tastes better than the sugar-free juices. Duh? :-P

Rating: Miss
Price: P62

3. Itch Cream

Since Yuri got attacked by insects at home (will be talking about this in a future post) and got so bothered by his itchy bites (poor boy), I was on the active lookout for a balm that would ease and even cure his insect bites. After research, I decided that the best option would still be GIGA (our insect repellant is GIGA) since a GIGA stall was conveniently situated in SM Lanang.

I was pleased to know that it smells mild and does not sting at all. In fact, it reminds me of lana (Bisaya readers will know this). More importantly, Yuri liked it when I apply the balm on his itches, some of which had cuts on them na. After a day of using it, I was able to see immediate effects! I will review this in a separate post soon.

Rating: Hit!
Price: P150

4. Detergent

Since we ran out of our usual laundry detergent for Yuri, I began scouring the web (again!) for a better replacement. We've been using Breeze Gold, and while it's okay, I find that Yuri's clothes become too stiff. Of course, a natural option would be better.

I have already ordered from Human ❤ Nature before, but I've never tried their detergent yet, so I gave it a try. This didn't have a scent, as expected, but Yuri's clothes feel a lot softer now!

Rating: Hit!
Price: P199

5. Dish Cleaner

I actually first tried this during my first Human ❤ Nature loot, and since I was pleased with it, I ordered a bigger bottle together with the detergent. To read a more complete review, just head over to this link.

Rating: Hit
Price: P169.75

6. Disposable Bibs

I didn't really need disposable bibs because we have real bibs, but when I saw this pack on sale at SM Lanang (again), I got really curious. I wanted to open a pack so that I will know the material used for the bibs, but the pack wasn't resealable so it couldn't be opened at the store. I bought one anyway.

At home, I opened the pack and saw that the bibs were made of light and flimsy material. In hindsight, I should have known! Haha! Anyway, clueless me was expecting waterproof bibs and these obviously aren't. Still, they could be handy in case I forget to bring a bib.

Rating: Miss
Price: P60+ for a pack of 6

7. Board Books!

Ah, my current Yuri-related obsession: books! I bought these two after our most recent appointment with our pedia (see post here). I have bought two more books before, and I just had to add two more to our growing collection. As always, I have no complaint with these Cupcake books. The stories are engaging, the illustrations are beautiful, and the material is sturdy!

Rating: Hit (of course!)
Price: P70 (regular price), but one of them, the "Dazzle Duckling" book, was only P45!

8. Suspenders

Ah, one of my favorite finds! I blogged about this when I bought the suspenders a couple of weeks ago (see post here). Yes, still at SM. I found this in the department store, and I love how Yuri absolutely looks so adorable wearing it. I think every toddler needs to have at least one pair of suspenders! This pair was on sale, 50% off, so I wanted to hoard. Unfortunately, this was the only color left! I wish they restock! *fingers crossed*

Rating: Hit!
Price: P65 only!

9-12. Colored Jeans, Plaid Shirt, Graphic Shirt, Bib!

Okay, so I made a "vow" to only buy one piece of apparel for Yuri per month. However, after making this post about Yuri's wardrobe wishlist, I could not stop thinking about toddler clothes! A couple of online friends made the suggestion of visiting thrift shops - or ukay-ukay. I haven't been to an ukay-ukay in years (before you get the wrong impression, it's because there's no ukay-ukay near home), so that idea is not applicable.

The next best thing, I surmised, is to scour for preloved clothes. After all, Yuri's a big boy na, and I'm sure I will only look for sellers who look as if they really took care of their children's stuff. I have been following several sellers for months now without intent to really buy. Now, the bad thing about following these shops is that you inevitably get to like some of their stuff! I chose sellers who have healthy-looking (even better if gwapo-looking) boys to minimize the worries about the clothes.

Fortunately, I immediately found one who was selling very fashionable toddler clothes! She sounded smart, which is a good point in "judging" online sellers, and her boy certainly looked healthy and gwapo. Just like Yuri. #loveyourown. Haha! Aside from the good clothes, she was also honest in telling me the flaws. I originally wanted a pair of pull-on jeans (still part of the wishlist), but I did not pursue it because she told me it had minor fading na.

The other day, my package from the seller arrived. Yay! As pictured above, I got the following: a pair of H&M red jeans (drools), a very soft plaid shirt from Koala Baby, and an H&M long-sleeved shirt with Elmo! Yuri is in a Sesame Street phase now, so he loved it! The kind seller even included a Carter's bib as a freebie. I'm so happy with the finds because each one of them looks almost new and flawless! :D

Rating: Hit!
Price: P150 each!!!

If you want the seller's name, please send me an email.

So that concludes this long post. What are your fun and frugal finds? Do tell!

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